Victorino returns after resting sore left side

BOSTON -- Though he wound up a late scratch from Saturday's Red Sox starting lineup, Shane Victorino had little doubt about his availability against the Orioles on Sunday.

"I don't know, I haven't seen the lineup," the veteran said. "I'm assuming I'm going [to play]. I feel fine."

Victorino had assumed correctly: He was starting in rght field and batting seventh, despite still sporting a bruise on the left side of his torso. The 34-year-old suffered the injury after making hard contact with the unpadded top section of the outfield wall on an attempted diving catch in a 3-2 win over Baltimore on Friday.

Victorino appeared to be shaken up after the play, but remained in the game until Daniel Nava pinch-hit for him in the sixth inning. The decision to keep him sidelined on Saturday, he said, was mostly precautionary.

"All the work we did, where I'm at and where I felt I had [to be], I was just instinctively going after a ball," Victorino said. "I was trying to make a catch. It obviously hit my glove. That's what I think was more why I was upset -- [it] wasn't the fact that I was so hurt. It was painful, I was sore. But I was just upset that I missed that ball. Cost my team a run. That's the way I look at it. I feel good today."

Red Sox manager John Farrell added that Victorino even took some swings in the batting cage before Saturday's game.

"He checked out fine. He's full go, ready to go," Farrell said.

Victorino entered Sunday batting .125 with five walks in eight games.